SAN BERNARDINO – Most mornings this summer, animal control manager Sue Hoak has arrived at work to find a long line of people waiting to drop off pets at the city’s animal shelter.

It is one of the worst periods she has seen in her 29 years on the job.

“We received 920 cats and about 450 dogs in July alone,” said Hoak. “It is very upsetting because my first thought always is where are we going to house all these animals.”

She blames the increase in animals being turned in to the San Bernardino City Animal Shelter on people losing their jobs and homes due to the economic downturn.

Statistics kept by the facility on Chandler Place back up what Hoak has seen over the course of summer.

From July 2007 to June 2008, owners turned in 1,465 dogs. This year, through June 30, there were 1,653 dogs turned in.

The number of abandoned animals, typically dogs, left behind when people move out, has swelled from 1,130 in 2007-08 to 1,317 this year.

This comes at a time when the shelter is making do with fewer resources due to city budget cutbacks.

But they are doing the best they can under the circustances, said Hoak.

They still try to turn animals over to rescue shelters, but those agencies are also feeling the pinch in these tough times.

To deal with the rising costs of food and medical care for the animals they have increased fees for contract agencies such as Colton, Fontana and Grand Terrace.

The cities house animals at the shelter because they do not have their own animal shelters.

The saddest outcome is an increase in euthanasia as a result of the increasing numbers.

In 2007-08, 12,515 of 17,500 animals were put to sleep.

By June of this year, 13,396 animals out of 18,252 were put down.

“That’s a lot,” said Hoak. “That means only around 5,000 found homes and that is the shocking truth of it.”

Currently, state law states that animals must be held for four days before euthanization or adoption.

Prevention is the key to slowing overcrowding at the animal shelter and the grim future faced by many of the animals.

First and foremost Hoak recommends that everyone should spay or neuter their pets, so the animals don’t have big litters.

And if they forsee financial hardship on the horizon, they should start asking family members, neighbors and friends if they could care for their pet if something happened.

“Turning an animal into a shelter should be the absolute last resort,” she said. “And people need to remember that our business as an animal shelter is not taking in your pets but taking in strays to protect the public.”

The best way the public can reach out to animals already at the shelter is by adopting them.

But then again they must be prepared to give the animal a good, safe home, said Hoak.

“We don’t want people adopting just because the animal is cute,” she said. “We want them to make sure they are taking it into a secure home environment.

On a recent sun-baked morning, Amber Brown and E.J. Lockett walked from kennel to kennel searching for a puppy to grow up with their baby Elijah Lockett.

“I think it’s more important to adopt a dog from a shelter, because a lot of them have had bad lives,” said Brown. “It’s really like saving a life.”

Adoption or not dropping off pets in the first place are part of the solution to the increase in animals.

In the near future, the shelter staff looks forward to meeting with officials from other cities they serve to set up a Joint Powers Authority.

The ultimate goal would be to set up one large central shelter with a board of directors.

“If we can all work together, I see a much brighter future,” said Hoak.